Blake Cooper Hurls Complete Game Shutout As Gamecocks Defeat Ole Miss 5-0

April 16, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior right-handed pitcher Blake Cooper hurled a four-hit complete game shutout and the Gamecocks scored all five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on its way to 5-0 victory over Ole Miss on Friday night at Carolina Stadium. The win improves Carolina to 27-7 and 10-3 in the SEC while the loss drops Ole Miss to 23-12 and 7-6 in conference play. Game two of the series on Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will be televised live on SportSouth.

Cooper struck out a career-high 10 batters in the victory, his fifth complete game of his career but his first career complete game shutout. He allowed just four hits and one walk in the victory. He is now 7-0 on the year. The complete game shutout was the first by a Gamecock pitcher since Aaron Rawl on May 13, 2005 in a 2-0 win at Ole Miss. It is the second consecutive shutout by the Gamecocks in SEC play (Carolina defeated Vanderbilt 2-0 last Sunday). Ole Miss reliever Trent Rothlin suffered the loss and is now 3-4 on the season.

The pitching matchup between Cooper and Ole Miss starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz was everything as advertised as both staff aces put up zero after zero on the scoreboard through the night on a warm evening in Columbia, S.C. Pomeranz did not allow a hit until the sixth and Cooper retired 11 in a row at one point. Pomeranz left after seven innings allowing no runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts and four walks.

It would be the eighth inning against the Rebels bullpen that would be when the Gamecocks made their move. Scott Wingo opened the frame with a leadoff walk against Ole Miss reliever Trent Rothlin. With reliever Brett Huber into the game, Whit Merrifield also walked to give the Gamecocks a pair of runners. Carolina then caught a break as Jackie Bradley Jr. laid down a sacrifice bunt with an errant throw by third baseman Zach Miller going past first baseman Miles Hamblin and allowing Wingo to score from second base. With Bradley on second and Merrifield on third with one out, the Rebels intentionally walked Nick Ebert to load the bases. Still with one out, Huber got the second out of the inning with a strikeout against Adam Matthews. However, it would be Adrian Morales that would strike with the key hit in the inning as he roped a double to right center clearing the bases and putting the Gamecocks ahead by four runs. Kyle Enders kept the momentum going as he tripled to right center then scoring Morales and giving the Gamecocks a 5-0 lead.

South Carolina and Ole Miss each tallied four hits apiece.